Designer Cabochons - Thrill of the hunt

My love for collector quality cabochons is infinite. I'll dig through never ending piles at gem shows and spend hours searching for that next perfect cab. My tireless hunt is rewarded with a creative spark. One that ignites endless design possibilities that swirl through my head as I hold it in my hand. Below is what I decided to do with the Burro Creek Agate shown in the photo to the right.  The creative sparks that will decide the fate of the other two cabs are still flying around. Subscribe to my blog to find out their destiny.

Photo: Burro Creek Agate (top left), Deschutes Jasper (top right), Rocky Butte Jasper (bottom)

Adirondack Sunset

This Burro Creek Agate from Mohave County Arizona is a great example of a landscape cabochon. The lapidary artist that cut this stone did an amazing job capturing the beauty within. I believe my job as a jewelry artist is to enhance the natural beauty of the stone and compliment the work of the lapidary artist.

There are many kinds of agates found in the Burro Creek area, some all purple in color like the photo shown below left. This cab in particular does have a hint of purple as well as a spectacular array of other colors like the beautiful photo below right taken by internationally published nature photographer Mark Graf.  Check out his work by clicking on his name.  It is breathtaking and worth the extra click ;). 

Photo by The Chiming Rock

Photo by Mark Graf

Evolution of the Cab

It all starts with a sketch. Sometimes at a reasonable hour, other times in the middle of the night when I am awoken with an aha moment. I draw inspiration from within the stone but I also search the natural world that surrounds me. The photo to the left is the final sketch I used for this piece but it was preceded by many other iterations. Thank goodness for large erasers, I go through many. I then cut and glued my sketch to the sheet metal that would eventually become the back plate of the bezel setting. The photos below illustrate the evolution of this piece.

Above: Pilot holes drilled and ready for piercing.
Below: Piercing complete and texture added.

Above: Piercing in progress
Below: Backplate with bezel attached

Even though this stone comes from Arizona, it speaks Adirondack sunset to me. I image myself camping lakeside with my family.  The kids are tucked in for the night leaving behind the silence that only a parent can appreciate. Nestled into my fireside chair with a glass of wine, enjoying the view of the marshy end of the lake. The silhouette of a lone tamarack makes a statement against the changing sky.  The silence is only broken by the crackling of the fire as the sun slowly creeps down below the horizon illuminating the distant peaks. I hope you enjoyed reading about this piece as much as I enjoyed creating it. If you are interested in purchasing this necklace please contact me.

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